Florida
government officials yesterday responded to Attorney General Eric Holder's
and the Obama Justice
Department's claim that its statewide examination of voter records
to identify illegal voters is illegal. One of the Sunshine State's top
officials stated Wednesday that it is Holder and Department of Justice
officials who are in violation of the law.

"The
Florida Department of State has a solemn obligation to ensure the integrity
of elections in this state. Permitting ineligible, non-citizen voters
to cast ballots undermines that mission and erodes the justified faith
the electorate has in the fairness and reliability of the electoral
process," said Florida
Secretary of State Kenneth Detzner in a letter to the Justice Department.

"As
Florida’s Chief Election Officer, I am committed to ensuring the
accuracy of Florida’s voter rolls and the integrity of our elections.
It is my duty to protect the right of all eligible voters who are able
to participate in the process. This is the security that voters and
candidates expect from us in every election. The Department will continue
to act in a responsible and cautious manner when presented with credible
information about potentially ineligible voters. No one that has the
right to vote has been denied the opportunity to cast a vote, and as
the Secretary, it is my duty to ensure that remains the case,"
stated
Detzner's letter.

Supporters
of Florida's voters check say it is a legal means of clearing voter
rolls of non-citizens or deceased registrants. But leftists and advocates
for illegal aliens call it part of disenfranchising minority voters.

"When
will the GOP fight back against the Democrats' tired accusation that
Republicans are trying to stop minorities from voting. It's the Democrats'
'get out the vote machine' that needs to be investigated. It's the Democrats
who stand to gain by ignoring illegal voters," said political strategist
Mike Baker.

"As
has been said in the past: If you wish to know what the Democrats are
planning, just listen to what they accuse Republicans of doing. Democrats
disenfranchise American citizens when illegal aliens, legal immigrants
and other ineligible voters cast their ballots. They are canceling out
the votes of U.S. citizens," Baker said.

Detzner
said Florida's actions were consistent with federal voting laws and
his pointed comments indicated that Florida had no immediate intention
of giving up its voter scrub effort.

On
June 1, Attorney General Eric
Holder and the U.S. Justice Department demanded that the State of
Florida -- considered a vital electoral state -- to stop checking voter
records in that state's probe of illegal voter registrations.

T.
Christian Herren, who heads the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department
of Justice, had warned Detzner in a separate letter last week that an
ongoing search for and purging of non-eligible voters in Florida appeared
to violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act that protects minorities.

In
the letter to Florida's Secretary of State Ken Detzner, who is in charge
of elections, Herren claimed searching for illegal
voters "seemed to violate the 1993 National Voter Registration
Act" and its rules for maintaining "accurate and current"
voter registration lists "in a uniform and non-discriminatory manner."

However,
critics of Holder and his underlings at DOJ believe this is another
scheme to allow illegal
immigrants, convicted felons and out-of-state residents to vote
in Florida which has been a battleground state that can determine a
winner by a mere few hundred votes.

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"Holder,
Herren and their boss [President Barack] Obama have shown absolutely
no proof of discrimination. If they're so worried about the integrity
of voters' rights, why didn't they go after the New
Black Panther Party who actually interfered with voters' rights?"
asked political strategist Michael Baker.

"Supporters
of Governor Rick Scott's so-called purge
of illegal voters, have been open about the purpose of it: to clear
voter rolls of non-citizens. But Democrats continue say the Republican
are attempting to prevent minorities and the poor will most probably
vote Democratic," Baker stated.

"While
the Democrats and their [sic] crony organizations accuse Republicans
freely and openly, rarely do you hear a Republican accuse Democrats
of 'stuffing the ballot box' with illegal ballots. And yet, there is
quite a bit of evidence of Democrat Party-affiliated groups involved
in voter fraud. Did I hear the name ACORN?"
quipped Baker.

However,
critics of Holder and his underlings at DOJ believe this is another scheme
to allow illegal immigrants, convicted felons and out-of-state residents
to vote in Florida which has been a battleground state that can determine
a winner by a mere few hundred votes.